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Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

Compliance Updates

UKGC Responds to Independent Inquiry into BetIndex

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced that it will make changes to the way it regulates innovative digital gambling products.

The announcement follows publication of the Independent Review of the Regulation of BetIndex Limited. The Review highlighted areas where the approach of both the Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) could be improved.

Andrew Rhodes, CEO of UKGC, said: “No amount of explanation of what happened to Football Index will take away the justifiable hurt and anger its customers are experiencing having lost, in some cases, life-changing amounts of money when the gambling company collapsed.

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“We accept and agree that we should have drawn a line under our efforts sooner, but this does not mean those customers would not have lost money in the event of the BetIndex company collapsing. Throughout this case we sought the best outcome for consumers within the scope of our regulatory powers.

“The review provides a number of helpful recommendations for how both regulators can work better together and for how our regulatory approach deals with novel products.”

He continued: “In recent years we have seen an increase in the complexity of business models and product offerings. The lines between what is gambling and other types of products, such as financial services or computer games, has become increasingly blurred and no longer neatly fit into existing statutory definitions of gambling.

“We have already acted on a number of the recommendations in the report. This has included more explicitly including novel products as one of the factors we consider as part of our assessment of a gambling company’s risk. We have also further strengthened the Memorandum of Understanding we have with the FCA so that issues that blur the lines between financial services and gambling are escalated and actioned more rapidly.

“Our actions were always focused on trying to protect consumers while we sought to bring the operator into compliance with regulations. This does not mean however that those customers would not have lost money in the event of the BetIndex company collapsing.”

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Australia

David Tsai named as Featured Speaker at Regulating the Game 2025 Sydney

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David Tsai, CEO of Crown Resorts, has been named as a Featured Speaker of next month’s Regulating the Game conference, taking place at Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour on March 10–13.

Tsai, who was appointed as Crown Resorts CEO in October 2024, brings two decades of integrated resorts experience to his leadership role. Joining Crown in December 2022, he initially served as CEO of Crown Perth before stepping into the top position following the departure of Ciarán Carruthers.

His career includes over 15 years with MGM Resorts International, where he held senior roles such as President of the Midwest Group, overseeing MGM Grand Detroit and MGM Northfield Park. During his tenure, he led large-scale transformations, such as the $550 million redevelopment of the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino into new lifestyle luxury brands Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas.

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“Regulating the Game provides a great platform to discuss the regulatory landscape for the gaming industry. I look forward to sharing our insights, learnings, and vision to embrace guest safety and wellbeing while becoming the leading entertainment destinations in Australia,” Tsai said.

“David’s extensive experience in leading integrated resorts and driving transformative projects brings a unique perspective to the conference. His insights into strategic leadership, operational excellence, and navigating complex regulatory environments will be invaluable to attendees,” Paul Newson, Principal at Vanguard Overwatch, said.

The post David Tsai named as Featured Speaker at Regulating the Game 2025 Sydney appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

Fennica Gaming’s eInstant Games Now Live in Belgium

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Fennica Gaming has announced that its popular gaming titles are now live in Belgium at The National Lottery of Belgium. After securing the public procurement and navigating through a seamless delivery phase, rigorous testing and proactive customer success discussions, Belgian players can now enjoy the entertaining experience of Fennica Gaming’s offerings.

“This was our first public procurement, and it proved to be a very thorough yet ultimately successful process. We worked hard for it and were delighted to be chosen as a partner for Nationale Loterij. The discussions during the delivery phase were incredibly fruitful, as they not only facilitated the smooth launch of our eInstant games but also helped in selecting the initial set of games and shaping our roadmap strategy. The collaborative efforts and strategic planning during this phase have laid a solid foundation for our ongoing collaboration in the Belgian market,” Kirsi Lagus, SVP of Portfolio and Products at Fennica Gaming, said.

“The entire phase felt like we were on a smooth train journey. From the initial setup to the final integration, everything went without a hitch. The meticulous planning and attention to detail ensured that we encountered no disruptions, allowing for a seamless transition to bring these games to our Belgian audience,” David Verloes, Business & Brand Lead at Nationale Loterij, said.

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Frame, the marketplace and customer tool provided by Fennica Gaming, offers a platform to fine-tune roadmaps and polish the games to suit player preferences. After the launch, Frame provides valuable data to evaluate and secure the customer’s success.

“The roadmap planning has been exceptional as Fennica Gaming’s own customer portal, Frame, is such an easy tool to use. With its games marketplace, secure document sharing, and especially its instant localization tool, selecting the games and planning the portfolio was really effortless. The capability the platform provides is something we haven’t seen on the market yet. This tool has undoubtedly set a new standard for the cooperation with games providers,” said Mélanie Chabrier, Lead Digital Products – Instant Games at Nationale Loterij.

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Compliance Updates

CEO of PIN-UP Global claims the charges against the Ukrainian partner to be legally absurd

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The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine initiated criminal proceedings against the owner of the PIN-UP Ukraine operator (Ukr Game Technology LLC), Ihor Zotko, on charges of high treason and aiding and abetting Russia. It entailed freezing of the company’s accounts and complete suspension of its operations.

The accusations are based on license payments that Ukr Game Technology LLC (Brand PIN-UP.UA) transferred to PIN-UP Global (GuruFlow Team LTD), an international iGaming holding company registered in a European jurisdiction.

Marina Ilina, CEO of PIN-UP Global, strongly denies the accusations, stating that these are legitimate payments under the software license agreement. She emphasizes that GuruFlow Team LTD has transparent operations, is licensed in Europe and has no financial transactions with Russia.

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“These accusations do not stand up to criticism. I am a Ukrainian and openly support my country. All the activities of my company are transparent and can be easily verified. We have no financial transfers to Russia, but only legitimate business operations. The case against Ukr Game Technology LLC may create a dangerous precedent in which standard commercial operations, such as royalty payments to international companies, are equated with a crime,” Ilina said.

According to her, the mere fact of the investigation led by the SBI raises serious concerns and looks like an element of pressure, since, according to the legislation, cases of high treason are in the competence of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), not the SBI.

Ilina believes that the development of the situation around Ukr Game Technology LLC may affect the international business perception of the investment climate in Ukraine and create risks for operation of foreign iGaming companies in the country.

The post CEO of PIN-UP Global claims the charges against the Ukrainian partner to be legally absurd appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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